NNA - Russian service members who “voluntarily surrender” to enemy forces during an armed conflict will now face up to ten years behind bars upon returning home, according to new legislation signed by President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

The new addition to the country’s penal code stipulates that the most lenient sentence that could be meted out for such an infraction is three years.

However, the law allows first-time offenders to avoid punishment if they flee from captivity and return to their unit. --- RT